Fanpics captures fan reactions during the game, which users are able to access via a free app.
Fanpics has partnered with its third venue and added two more to the list of partner sports teams through a new deal with Staples Center, Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Kings and Los Angeles Clippers.
Fanpics uses cameras, technology and fans to create a “whole new type of sports media,” as co-founder and head of brand, product and strategy, Marco Correia, describes it.
“Our ultimate goal is create a better story for fans,” said Correia. “Historically, all the cameras are focused on the court or field or ice during a game. We’re in a different generation where we’re all producers and directors and editors of our own content now. We’re now turning those cameras around and giving every fan their own story of the event, so they can see that and share that with the people they love.”
Cameras are installed at the venue that, using a Fanpics program, snap photos of fan reactions throughout the game. Fans are then able to download the free Fanpics app and access their photos after creating user accounts and inputting their seat numbers. From there, they are able to download them, share to social media or just look at them in the app. Currently, there is no expiration date for the photos, so users are able to access photos from game days years later. Correia uses roller coasters, such as Splash Mountain at Disneyland, to explain the technology.
“It’s something everyone is familiar with, but the reason those photos are powerful is because of timing,” said Correia. “Timing is everything. You know the cliché, timing is the difference between an everyday moment and one that you will remember for a lifetime. We function in the same way. During those moments, whether it’s a good moment or a bad one, a red card or a foul, you can trigger the system and capture every single fan.”
The system can be operated remotely, but Fanpics sends a single operator to the venue on game day to insure everything is working and to “press the button” to trigger the system.
“When anything happens or is about to happen we overtrigger the system, probably 70-80 times during a game in hopes of capturing that moment,” said Correia. “Anything that doesn’t turn out, we just don’t publish it. We’re never going to miss a moment because we don’t think something's going to happen. We’re constantly pressing that button to insure that we capture everybody.”
Installed at Staples Center
At Staples Center, 12 camera units, each about the size of a shoe box, have been installed at all four corners of the facility, with four attached to different light bars. Lee Zeidman, president, Staples Center, said the installation was quick and nonintrusive.
“We had to make sure we had the proper infrastructure as it relates to internet capabilities and as it relates to all of the data-capturing things they needed in order for them to do this the way they wanted to,” said Zeidman. “It helps that our building is completely wifi capable now, which allows us to do this and quite a few other different things as well.”
Zeidman said the partnership with Fanpics hasn’t cost Staples Center anything but is funded by Fanpics through a small sponsorship deal. Because the Clippers were knocked out of the NBA playoffs, the system will first be put to use during a Kings game in the fall. Zeidman said he is interested to see how fans will react to the new technology, which will be announced in various ways in the arena prior to the unveiling.
“It gives the fans the opportunity to see themselves in key moments without having to worry about taking that photo,” said Zeidman. “It gives them the opportunity to socialize with their friends and post photos. We thought this would be a great opportunity to offer the latest and greatest technology out there that fit very well with our building.”
Beta Testing at StubHub Center
Fanpics first launched at San Diego State University’s Viejas Arena during basketball games before expanding to the professional sports side, first getting involved with AEG about a year ago when they brought their technology to StubHub Center, Carson, Calif. A trial run was launched there in August 2014, where Fanpics absorbed the cost of installation as both parties watched to see how it would transition to an outdoor stadium setting.
Casey Leppanen, senior director of Marketing, said the younger, more technologically savvy crowd they attract to L.A. Galaxy soccer games has responded positively to the service, as the number of users continues to grow with each game.
“About 11 to 17 percent of the crowd checks in on a game day,” said Leppanen. “If you assume that every person who checks in is with a group of two and a half people, you could say that 20 to 50 percent of the crowd engages with Fanpics on any given day, which is great. It’s actually better than we thought it would be when we were going into it. People socially share, on average, one and a half photos per usage. On a game day, fans will typically check back in around seven times to the app to look at old photos and new photos of a game.”
General Manager Katie Pandolfo said most fans are used to having cameras pointed at them while at the stadium, so there wasn’t any negative backlash after the installation. Fanpics has not only expanded their fan engagement offerings, but has boosted their presence on social media as well, with fans regularly posting their photos from games.
“We continue to look at upcoming technology that’s coming into stadiums,” said Pandolfo. “It’s something we’re obviously interested in and staying connected to anything new we can bring to the experience of the game. We love looking at different opportunities.”
An added benefit to Fanpics is the access to valuable data that comes along with it. Because fans are required to create an account in order to access their photos, Fanpics is able to report on certain crowd demographics that can be used for marketing and targeting by the venue and team.
“We’re there as a temperature check, taking the pulse of every game to say these are all the Fanpics users that checked in, this is where they sat, these are how much those tickets cost,” said Correia. “Then you can start to think about some interesting segments in how can you make those users’ experience better? The more data we know, the smarter we can be about marketing and improving the user experience. There are opportunities across the board.”
Leppanen said they’ve just started working with Fanpics on the data side at StubHub Center after waiting to build their user list to about 20,000 people in the app.
“We sent out some targeted sales emails to some people on the list,” said Leppanen. “We sold about 150 tickets, so it was better than we had expected. I think as we get going we can start segmenting that list a little more to understand who our season-ticket buyers are on the list and who our single-ticket buyers are on the list and target them via another mechanism.”
Fanpics Continues to Grow
Privacy is obviously a potential concern and continued priority for Fanpics, as they continue to develop different privacy features for the app. Currently, they’re working on unique ticket code integration, which will be more exact than just using a seat number, and an opt-out feature.
“We have ways, without sharing the exact details, of telling if people were at the game or not, or if they’re just searching through seat numbers,” said Correia. “We have ways of being able to tell if people are checking into multiple seats or multiple people trying to check into one seat. These are all going to be typical levels of privacy controls you expect from a company in today’s tech environment, but even on top of that is we’re currently developing other features so that everyone can have the level of privacy they want.”
Fanpics is also looking to grow their presence in venues and sports teams around the world. The deal with Staples Center has created inbound interest in the company, which has already been in discussion with more than 50 other venues in the college and professional markets.
“It makes the fans happy, and it makes the teams happy, so we just have to make sure we keep operating at the level that we have been,” said Correia. “It’s only up to us to screw it up! We’ve got plans here to expand real soon and will be receiving capital injection to do so.”
Interviewed for this story: Lee Zeidman, (213) 742-7255; Marco Correia, (310) 300-4802; Katie Pandolfo and Casey Leppanen, (310) 630-2054